Flowers and floral arrangements have been used throughout history as gifts and to convey sentiments. A single, long-stemmed rose can be an elegant expression of passion, while an elaborate floral bouquet might be used to celebrate a wedding or the birth of a child. The intricate designs and colorful patterns of flowers make them true objects of beauty. Each flower is unique, having its own particular shape and coloring.
Fresh flowers may also produce a pleasant fragrance that adds to the experience when a flower or bouquet is presented. Since the blossoms of flowering plants are typically short-lived, their transitory nature and short life makes them particularly special. While the visual beauty of these flowers is stunning, it can only be enjoyed when illuminated. This is unfortunate, since many of the locations where flowers are used are in areas of reduced lighting such as restaurants or dance venues.
Many attempts have been made to produce artificial flowers that mimic the beauty of live flowers. Often, thin silk or rayon fabrics are employed to fashion facsimiles of real flowers. The fabric is dyed or painted to resemble real flowers. In an attempt to add interest to these artificial flowers, some have been outfitted with electrically powered lighting devices. Even the best of these fakes however, can not compare with the delicate beauty of real flowers. Illuminated artificial flowers are no exception. It is unlikely that an individual would present his or her prom date with an artificial flower, even if illuminated.
Deng, U.S. application US2004/00885758, discloses a means for lighting artificial flowers employing a small light bulb or light emitting diode. In this embodiment a flower is assembled around the lighting means. When power is applied to the lamp, the artificial flower illuminates from within.
Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,485, discloses an illuminated artificial flower arrangement that includes a container with an electrical terminal block being mounted on the stem support.
Von Kohorn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,304, teaches a device for displaying three-dimensional objects to be centripetally viewed such as flower arrangements. The light source is contained in a lower cavity while the flowers are contained in an upper cavity.
Jansen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,209, discloses an illuminated standing support for plants which comprises a translucent material, a plant, a flower or other recipient provided in the upper part of said support and a light source installed on said holder for illumination of translucent support.
Kurita et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,439, discloses an illuminated artificial flower ornament in which a miniature bulb is located in the peduncle part of an artificial flower.
Fernandez, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,462, discloses a method for making a translucent optical diffuser for a flower lamp. A method of chemically treating animal bladders to convert them into diffusers is also disclosed.
Sanford, U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,940, discloses a planter light accessory for illuminating a plant within a container. A cylindrical housing contains a light source that is mounted on the edge of the cylindrical housing for illuminating the plant.
Huang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,582, discloses a flower shaped lamp including a mount for an artificial flower. A tubular stem of the artificial flower contains an electric wire that is connected to a bulb that is mounted on the artificial flower.
Kuo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,901, discloses a multicolored light-emitting flower decoration that employs chemiluminescent reagents to produce light.
Von Kohorn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,968, discloses a device and a system for indirect, substantially glare-free, directional lighting of objects such as plants and outdoor sculptures.
Tang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,110, discloses a vase-type illumination device comprising a transparent container, transparent base board, and a supporting stand and illuminating mechanism. The transparent base board can be either movably or immovably mounted on the underside of said container, while the flowers or various kinds of ornaments are inserted in place in the holding hole on the base board.
Dolan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,410, discloses an ornamental display having a multiplicity of fiber optic elements held together along a length adjacent one end and transversely unrestrained at the other end. A light source and a rotatable color wheel are positioned between the light source and the fiber bundle.
Wall, U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,385, discloses an adapter, which allows a spray of optical fibers to readily be connected or disposed in proximity to a light source.
Feldman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,140, discloses a display unit, typically intended for placement on a table that includes a plurality of flexible elongated electroluminescent sources connected to the individual display elements.
Cooper, U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,622, discloses a lighting device for transmitting light to inaccessible places using a bundle of optical fibers and a means of directing a concentrated column of visible light onto one end of the fibers. A means for substantially eliminating infrared energies from the concentrated column is disclosed.
Sussel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,036, discloses an article of jewelry which consists of first and second lengths of electrically conductive wire with a light emitting diode connected across a first set of the free ends of the wire lengths. An oscillator circuit and a low voltage power source are connected across the other free ends of the lengths of wire to provide a flashing circuit for the light emitting diode.
Blackerby, U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,580, discloses an ornamental lighting device which includes a housing defining a chamber therein and a power source disposed in the housing chamber. One or more LEDs are mounted in the housing wall. In one embodiment, the LEDs are provided with light enhancing members that serve to disburse, reflect or otherwise modify the light emitted from the LEDs.
Day et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,364, discloses a light-emitting beaded necklace for ornamental decoration having a plurality of beads on an elongate thread. At lease one light source is enclosed within one of the beads.
Jensen et al., U.S. Application US2003/0035291, discloses an imitation candle having a body made from a translucent material having light transmissive properties similar to paraffin. The body is shaped to resemble a candle that is reduced by burning. An LED or similar high intensity light source is set in a cavity enclosed within this material. The LED emission levels are varied in a pseudo-random manner to simulate the flicker of candle light.
Ostema et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,149, discloses illuminated jewelry connectable to a wearer as an earring, a clothes pendant or the like and includes a light emitting diode connected onto an enlarged flat base member at one end of an elongated stem.
Bae, U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,307, discloses illuminated jewelry that includes a housing containing a mercury switch, a mercury battery, a cap containing a light bulb, a clipping member for clipping to the wearer, whereby anytime the illuminating jewelry is moved, the jewelry illuminates in a blinking manner.
The use of small electric lamps to illuminate artificial flowers is known, but applicant is aware of no teaching that shows a means of illuminating real flowers from within. Indeed, no prior art found even suggests that it might be possible to propagate light through one or more layers of vegetable matter such as petals of a flower, so that a real plant might be illuminated from within for ornamental purposes.